Just yesterday in response to President Trump's comments about Chuck Todd being a "Son-of-a-Bitch", I posted the following tweet; "When a president uses his office to publicly attack fellow Americans based upon personal animus, he diminishes the office of the Presidency. Trump epitomizes what our Founders abhorred - a petty, small man in a position of immense power." Anyone even remotely familiar with the Founders and their reactions to King George III, would appreciate exactly why they detested such tyrants and why they became determined not to allow their leader (soon to become the President) to abuse the powers of the office. They too appreciated how the words of a president could be used against the new American democracy they came to embrace. Most of the reactions to my tweet were positive, but some were not. One read; ""based upon personal animus" - That's a pretty bold and dare I say disingenuous claim right there. [Enemy funded?] propaganda warfare against the US in the US Media is NOT OK and its NOT NORMAL. Trump is sworn to defend the Constitution against ALL enemies Foreign and domestic." It appears Trumplings have all now affirmed that ANY media opposing their leader shall be considered an ENEMY of America. Because according to their logic, "why else would anyone have to say anything bad about Trump unless they hate America?" Really? I looked this guy up on Twitter (is that called "trolling?") and found his previous tweets to be pure "sycophant." Not surprisingly, he is all Trump all of the time. Despite his response, I did not use profanity. I did not use talking points. I just ignored him. Why? Because he claims superior status of "Patriot" over anyone that disagrees with Trump - despite the fact he knows nothing of the fears the Founders legitimately held about presidents potentially becoming tyrants. He fails to recognize that his own party, the GOP - has tossed out all rules (written and unwritten) relating to centuries of political norms - all for the sake of gaining, maintaining and controlling power (despite the costs to our system of government). So if we Americans want to make a change in our leaders, we must now go to the polls more than ever - VOTE and do it in every election from city, town, county elections to State and Federal ones too. Americans must voice displeasure with elected officials at every opportunity. The First Amendment guarantees this right. Voting is the ultimate exercise of those voices. And yesterday the GOP-led House Intelligence Committee just released the findings from their "investigation" into possible collusion before and during the 2016 Presidential Election between the Trump Campaign and Russia. Par for the course, the Committee once headed by the "recused" David Nunes, (yes the very same man that leaked Committee information to both the White House and Fox news - the very same guy the leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee complained to Speaker Ryan about), issues its "final" report on the matter. Interestingly, the report flat out says there was Russian interference into our elections, but no collusion with the Trump campaign, even though the Committee subpoenaed no witnesses to compel testimony on the absurd notion that witnesses would not answer their questions (which went unanswered while under oath before the Committee). Their theory? Executive Privilege might be invoked. Since when does the House of Representatives abandon a valuable investigative tool because they "fear" witnesses won't answer? That's what subpoenas are for - to force answers under punishment of Contempt of Congress. In their haste to protect the the president and their beloved GOP, they seem to simply claim "time is up" (with Midterm Elections approaching) and the investigation is over - despite Democrats' on the Committee's vocal concerns. You see, the "Report" of the Committee was released without Democratic consent and approval. Seems when it comes to "Intelligence", it remains a concept foreign to the House GOP. (See: www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/republicans-find-no-evidence-of-collusion-or-russian-preference-for-trump/2018/03/12/28c2cd44-2639-11e8-874b-d517e912f125_story.html?utm_term=.82). So how do we guarantee this investigation properly continue? Elect Representatives that demand the truth, despite the risk to their governing power. Vote Country before Party! As President Franklin D. Roosevelt once wrote; "Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting." Have a great week!

After missing another week from travels out of the country, I find myself wondering if I really did miss anything. Jared Kushner had his security clearance "lowered", yet he still can rely upon his father-in-law to fill him in "as needed." We also found many senior aides to the president suddenly resigning to pursue - "opportunities in the private sector" and Mueller's investigators are getting seriously close to the president's financial schemes and potential criminal acts. So what really is "new" this week? With this White House, nothing. The roller coaster continues. Ironic isn't it that the crowd that screamed "Lock her up!" because there was potential for some of her "classified" emails to be intercepted by enemies abroad, somehow have gone mute when it is revealed that several senior Trump White House staff have been trading classified national secrets without proper security clearance. You may recall from my earlier blogs how often I stressed the principal of mens rea (or mental understanding and intent) - a requirement they actually intended to violate law, is required to convict someone of a criminal act. As you may also recall, those Clinton haters always took a position that the intent really didn't matter when it came to Clinton - "LOCK HER UP" was their position even if it could not be proven she actually intended or knew classified materials could have been improperly accessed or shared. Yet, now that we know classified information was not only passed around electronically by Trump advisors, but also shared, where is the "Lock Her Up!" crowd now? Suddenly speechless. When intent is needed, many didn't care. When it's obvious not only was classified material improperly handled, but it was done intentionally by members of the Trump Administration (and many GOP members in the House of Representatives), where is the outcry? This past week the bipartisan leadership of the Senate Intelligence Committee determined that Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee have improperly leaked oversight and investigatory material to the White House and Fox news. When pressed by both the Senate Republican and Democratic members of the Committee to explain these actions, Speaker Ryan appeared willing to listen their complaints, but offered no further action. So let's get this straight. Highly classified information gathered by the Senate Intelligence Committee is shared with members of the House Intelligence Committee, but the Republican members of that Committee then improperly leak it to the White House and then ultimately to Fox news. When asked for their response, David Nunes, GOP head of the House Committee simply (and typically) points a finger at the media instead. (See: www.nytimes.com/2018/03/01/us/politics/senate-intelligence-nunes-leaks.html). When pushed further by pundits in the media to explain their actions, the common response has been "What about her emails?" or "Clinton was a flawed candidate!" In other words, "get over it" seems to the the only response from GOP members of the House. Let's get this straight- when Hillary Clinton did anything the Right Wing and Trumplings did not approve of, it was "criminal" and "corrupt." When the GOP and Trump are proven to be in the wrong, their refrain remains - "what about Hillary!?" Aren't most Americans about fed up with this "business (of hyper-partisan corruption) as usual?" And what ever happened to the role for Congress (Article I, US Constitution) designed by the Framers to constantly check and balance the authority of the Executive branch? Aren't liberals portrayed by the Right Wing as "Leftist Cucks" and "Snowflakes?" But with Trumplings and their GOP sycophants in Congress, aren't all Americans being conned into being "cucks?" (See: www.gq.com/story/why-angry-white-men-love-calling-people-cucks). As President Thomas Jefferson once warned, "Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny." When hyper-partisanship is exercised in the halls of Congress, we no longer have a trust in our representatives - and this is the real threat to our great nation. Tyranny is always just around the corner when politics blurs our peripheral vision! Have a great week!

We live in an era rarely seen in our history. An era in which many Americans have decided that formal education in history, civics and logic no longer are important. Where many Americans actually scoff at anything mentioned by anybody they perceive to be more intelligent than themselves. An era where the "common man" thinks they alone have the answers to problems, even though they don't have the foggiest notion as to the nature of the problems we face, let alone potential solutions for those very same problems. And I am afraid, this is leading our nation directly towards the "shit hole" status our president claims for other nations. You see, once again our nation suffered a collective injury when a shooter entered a building and murdered children in their classrooms and school hallways. Instead of addressing the multitude of issues surrounding this tragedy, many Americans decided instead to attack those asking to discuss the issue of gun reform. In doing so, it becomes quite obvious our nation is in deep trouble. How so? We are in deep trouble because so many cling to the Second Amendment without knowing anything else about our Constitution, that's how. This week I replied to someone on Facebook when someone posted blatant falsehoods about gun control advocates. The responses I received were, well, frightening. No, no one threatened me with physical harm. What they collectively did though sent a shiver down my back. I know, "suck it up and take it like a man!" Except no matter how hard one may try to enlighten fellow Americanas on anything, many people feel empowered not to argue facts, but instead attack, attack and attack yet again anyone that opposes their views. I can take the attacks, but it's the content of the attacks that disturb me. How so? As soon as I pointed out that Chicago has not had strict gun laws since they were struck down in the McDonald case some 10 years ago, I was met with; "you are such an arrogant asshole!" When I pointed out that Chicago is not the "Murder capital of the World" and posted links to prove both points, I was not met with "Hey, thanks for correcting this for me." instead, I got a lot of "You think you are so smart and we are so dumb!" Actually, prior to engaging with them in this "conversation", I never considered anyone stupid, just unaware that their positions are based upon myth and falsehoods. Another responded with "Ya, just continue flying your rainbow flag and pushing your leftist agenda and you can leave America if you don't like it!" One obvious problem is none of the responders cited any evidence I was wrong - just that I was "Condescending and Arrogant" and "worthless." By now you know I try and try again to get through to people (it's the pedantic educator in me), but when like-minded people jumped in to say "I've checked you profile and lawyers are the least respected people in America!" how does that makes sense when arguing about guns? Another responder chimed in that I am a "leftist that wants to take our guns away from us!" And obviously, I have "no idea what the Second Amendment says!" When I suggested they read Scalia's opinion in the D.C. v Heller gun case, I was met with even more strident barrage of hate. "Courts are a joke. Unelected judges make decisions that mean nothing. We are not bound by decisions of Courts!" Anyone else see the irony of Americans wrapping themselves up in the Second Amendment while having no idea what the rest of the Constitution says or the objective of the Framers to vest interpretative powers in an unelected judiciary - to make them independent from the pressures of the uneducated in America (affectionately known as the "mob."). When I raised the notion of reading The Federalist Papers #78, their response was more direct - "We know everything we need to know and don't have to take direction from an asshole that thinks he's smarter than we are. This is why Trump won and will win again - because of people just like you!" And that is when I told them to have a nice day but that I was no longer going to waste my time. So when indictments come down to prove Russian interference in our elections, these same folks scream "Who needs the FBI, they are all 'deep state traitors!'", score one for Putin. Thanks Mr. Trump. You have unleashed the ignorant and their vile hatred of knowledge (as long as it doesn't come from Fox news, it must be fake!). Which gets me to my point. I was taught to respect intelligence. To embrace the notion that "I don't know what I don't know" and to surround myself with people that are smarter than me because hopefully their knowledge and wisdom would be shared and come to me. Instead, in America today we have a class of citizens that feel they already know everything they will ever need to know and detest anyone with more formal education or experience beyond their provincial foundations. And these my friends are the "Trumplings!" So we are in scary times. Not just because of the proliferation of mass shootings and death in the form of unlimited access to weapons, but because we now have a large swatch of the electorate currently celebrating ignorance - and it has and will continue to cost us all as a nation. As President Thomas Jefferson once wrote; "Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty." Sadly, our liberty and our nation is threatened from within -by those too ignorant to learn, too cocksure to realize others may actually know more, and who have forgotten that civic duty goes beyond pushing narratives designed to divide us from each other. Have a great week!

Now that the Winter Olympics have begun, I no longer find myself that interested in the event. Is it me, or are certain "must see" events no longer necessary of my attention. Could it be age? Am I too old to care so much about a sporting event? Have I come to the realization that sport is a nice diversion that can either elevate or depress our emotions, but overall are not worthy of taking too much of my limited time? Or is it a direct result that, like a lot of other Americans, I am simply tired - worn out worrying instead about our way of life and how politics are impacting it these days? Perhaps it may be a little of both, but one thing is for sure. Sports are great, fun to play and watch, but in realty, have no real impact on most of Americans' day to day lives. Politics on the other hand, has a direct impact. And the political atmosphere we are currently in is enough to cause concern. Allow me to elaborate. We have always had conflict between ourselves and others when it comes to sports and the teams we root for or against. I have "my" teams that I follow. They are tied to my life based upon where I went to college and the area that I grew up. I can frankly say that whenever I see a car with a bumper sticker featuring a rival sports club logo, I really don't pay much mind to it. But when I see a political related bumper sticker, that seems to be another story all together. When I see "Lock Her Up" stickers, or one with the NFL logo crossed out with "I stand for the pledge", I admit I do cringe a little. Why is it so damn important to openly display a political "bent" on a vehicle? Does it score points ("winning!") for the driver if they know they are passing along political views in a way that forces other drivers to know it? And if you disagree with the statement on the sticker? I simply shake my head and wonder if those displaying the sticker truly believe its message or whether they find it necessary to put it on their vehicle because they are seeking like minded drivers in an effort to reinforce their beliefs? I really don't know the answer. But I do admit, I physically cringe when I see these public displays on vehicles (side note - I have NO stickers on my car and my wife's car only has an IU sticker on it). So what gives? I know it's freedom of speech, but for what purpose? Which gets me to my last point. We know there is a concerted effort by the media and political parties to separate us into "tribes" wherein we give absolute loyalty to the "cause of the tribe" without thinking for ourselves. Instead of thinking we are all in this together, we are seeing more and more divisive rhetoric designed to corrode our sense of community unity and spirit. By posting my blogs about "Trumplings", have I too fallen into this rabbit hole of divisiveness? Perhaps to some I have, but I find my efforts to bring some back to their senses is worth the risk of alienating others that simply cannot be reached anymore when it comes to accepting the lies and hypocrisy flowing from the Trump Administration and the current GOP. For example. Our local newspaper reported that Cory Lewendowski, former Trump campaign advisor was in Sarasota to gin up support for a candidate for a State Representative seat. I'm okay with whomever he wants to campaign for, but when their basis for supporting the candidate is based upon open lies, then I take exception. With Lewendowski, the paper reported "There were Make America Great Again hats sprinkled throughout the crowd, people sported Trump stickers and a chant of 'lock her up" even broke out..." Since when does stirring a crowd to cheer on an effort to imprison a "former" political opponent an example of American values? Last I checked, Clinton lost her election bid for the presidency, yet Trumplings can't seem to process that our country has a president, and he's been in that position now for over a year. More importantly, what in the hell does a candidate running for a Statehouse seat have anything to do with Hillary Clinton? Could it be that there are no actual issues in play so they need to resort to this level of rhetoric? Obviously, if there is no "substance" to the candidate, fire up the crowd by chanting tribal themes, sit back and watch its members break out in pre-programmed affirming responses. Wouldn't it be nice if a political candidate actually campaigned on real platforms to pursue if elected? But the appeal to turn the tribal switch on (and the independent brain off) seems to be too appealing. And this is the real problem we face in America. So many refuse to apply logic and actual facts to anything that may upset their "tribal view". As an American, I find this very disconcerting - especially when some GOP leaders push a narrative that is not only factually incorrect, but lacks any reasonable attachment to American values ("Lock her up" chants are dangerous and are not virtuous). What does it say when elected officials have so little knowledge of American history and are so willing to manipulate it to further their political rhetoric? (See: lawandcrime.com/politics/rep-scalise-says-thomas-jefferson-wrote-the-constitution-he-didnt/). I'm pretty sure Lincoln (happy birthday Abe) would agree with me on this point. As President Lincoln once wrote; "I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts." We are in this together whether some like it or not. Truth and honesty is needed back into our political conversation. It's past time we demand our media and elected officials get back to that notion! Have a great week!

Have you ever engaged with someone who seems stuck on the "What if?" train? You know what I mean. Every time you say something, the other guy/gal says "But what if..." Or when you read something demonstrably false and you provide a link proving it is indeed false, but the response isn't "Gee, I was wrong, thanks for getting the facts out". Instead, you get a "But what if it is true?". I have addressed this issue before, but now that the Nunes Memo is out, it is patently obvious that the calculated strategy of the Trump White House is to always paint a picture filled with at least some doubt - just enough to derail arguments that use actual facts. For the guys playing fast and loose with the "Fake News" labels, it amazes me how many Trumplings refuse to acknowledge they have fallen victim to a very cynical (and unpatriotic) strategy. How is it "unpatriotic"? Allow me to explain. Trump is not a moron. There, I said it. He is the President of the United States. There, I said that. And because he is President, he is rightfully under a microscope as required by the Constitution when it comes to Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances. (Article I). But Trump is a genius who has perfected playing the "Media Game." He knows he has a widely followed Propaganda machine in Fox News and the Wall Street Journal. He knows he can get his "message" out - at a level previously not either understood or fully appreciated by previous occupants of the Oval Office. Social Media allows him to "Speak directly to the people!" And Trumplings cheer this. But what if all he tweets are lies? The GOP media machine has allowed Trump to lash out with lies and distortions without any culpability for his dishonesty. This has all come about because Trump seeks to create a sort of "beyond a reasonable doubt" threshold for his wrongdoing. Even if the government can prove he is corrupt, will potential prosecutors be able to exceed the "beyond a reasonable doubt" question? By creating a wave of "What if's" and "What About's", Trump and his machine is manufacturing just that...doubt. Doubt of the institutions that serve the American People by investigating and prosecuting wrongdoers. Doubt that laws actually apply to everyone, including presidents. Why trust the prosecutors if they are corrupt? Or Politicized? (www.vox.com/world/2017/10/19/16503050/trump-tweet-fbi-steele dossier; www.npr.org/2018/01/22/579209787/criminal-cabal-fbi-fears-political-attacks-may-imperil-work-of-field-agents; www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/2/1/16956290/nunes-memo-release-the-memo-fbi-russia). To those that would casually dismiss criminality on a claim of "What if" or "What About" (despite actual facts proving otherwise), then society must question your patriotism. Unlike many others, I believe America will always win in the end. Why? Because no one is above the law (no matter how much one wants to mentally deny actual facts), Courts of Law do not play that game. For every move Trump and his Trumplings make, I trust Robert Mueller, et. al., will effectively respond. In the mean time, opposition can only be successful at the ballot box - and November will be here before we realize it. As President James Madison once wrote; "Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives." No "What If's", "What About's" or doubts. Have a great week!

Just a short post this week on keeping things "straight." At a dinner this weekend I was advised by someone at our table that I was constantly interrupting my wife as she explained what was happening in our lives (my wife on the other hand, didn't see it that way). After being together over 42 years, I guess it is easy for us to "finish the other's sentences." Except the listener took great exception to how I was "correcting" my wife. "Do you think you saying it is more important than her saying it?" Hmm, was I guilty of actual "mansplaining" when it came to interrupting my wife? Sounds like I'm a jerk, right? Except my wife readily admitted (when corrected) that her "facts" were actually wrong. When pressed by the listener "why do you have to explain things for her?", my simple answer was for "accuracy's sake." The person calling me out responded that she felt my wife's thoughts were just as important as mine and that she should be allowed to speak, no matter how wrong her facts were. She told me "let her speak and then you can speak after her!" I only bring this up because I believe this is one of the many reasons our country is in trouble. Allow me to explain. When people are discussing a matter and are allowed to make up facts, their incorrect statements are given time to "sink in" with the listener. It's not rocket-science, but the words of the original speaker are heard and understood. When someone like me chimes in after the fact (as demanded by the listener - "Let her talk!"), human nature will balance both as equals, weighing the information with a bias - "I prefer to hear from her and not you." Except, when facts are wrong, the listener is allowing falsehoods to be balanced with actual facts - making the actual facts subject to prejudices and biases. And that is what is happening in our society today. Instead of hearing the actual facts, we hear voices and allow them to share in importance - rendering the truth secondary status to some form or "sensitivity" or inclination towards the one speaking - even if they are very, very wrong. So how did I respond? I tried to explain that my wife had misspoken, no matter her intent. By interrupting her, I was trying to make her statement accurate and credible. To the listener, the nature of my wife's statement was no longer important, but my interrupting was. And this is why so many still listen to Trump and Fox news. They don't care anymore if they are being mislead or lied to, they simply have decided that Trump is "their guy" and whatever he says (no matter how untrue), must be balanced with whatever anyone else says (even if they prove the lies being told by Trump and Fox). "Fair and Balanced" right? But it's wrong! As Mark Twain once wrote; "Get your facts first, then you can distort them!" Facts are more important than the messengers that bring them to light. As a nation, open and honest discourse is what we need to get back to - and soon! (Side note, my wife totally agreed with me...it's always important to get the "story straight!"). Have a great week!

SHUTDOWN (the sounds of doors creaking shut, locks being put onto chains and lights being turned off), but what exactly is happening in Washington that brought this event to the fore? A lot, but if you read social media, it's filled with comments from the mis-informed, dis-informed, uninformed and the misled blaming anyone except their own favorite leaders. What truly bothers me are the efforts by smart people to rationalize these positions when it comes to the shutdown - positions that are foreign to what is really going on. Allow me to elaborate. Back in September, 2017, for no actual reason whatsoever (except to add it to a list of things "Un-Obama"), President Trump in all of his wisdom, decided to use an Executive Order ("E.O.") to overturn an Obama E.O. that extended protections to young immigrants brought into this country illegally by their parents. Many of these children were under the age of ten when brought here, (many DREAMERS have younger siblings born in America, making them citizens). The program was created to provide a form of relief for these people. After all, about 800,000 of them have lived here their entire lives and as a result, see themselves only as Americans. (See: www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/trumps-decision-end-daca-explained). But the Right Wing via Trump have vilified all undocumented aliens as "illegals", ergo, "criminals" posing a danger to "real Americans!" Trump campaigned on the theme that hispanics are "rapists and murderers." How do we know such caustic narratives work? He got elected on that platform. "BUILD A WALL!" "AMERICA FIRST!" This is why the Democrats have demanded legislative action on DACA. The GOP leadership will not commit to extend it. This is why the Dems have made it a stumbling block for the current budget impasse. It's called political leverage. It's fair game. Why? Because the actions of the president and the GOP prove they are unwilling partners in fairness, honesty and yes, compromise - ever! Recall the recent trial of a homeless man in San Fransisco without documentation for murdering a young woman? Trump politicized this tragedy to push his "illegal=criminal" talking points. So many GOP members and Trumplings convicted the man solely because he was here "illegally" despite the fact that the gun involved was stolen and left behind by actual American criminals on a pier that was later picked up by the guy and it "went off." The bullet that killed the women was a ricochet. When the man was acquitted, arm-chair lawyers and Trumplings collectively screamed for his execution (as if our judicial system is based upon one created in some "shit hole" country or something.). Despite actual facts. Who needs facts when we have an overheated partisan tribe manipulated into a frenzy? How is this possible? Just look at the blame game being played. We have become so tribal that we no longer care about the truth. We create our own reality so it fits our world view, no matter how ignorant that view actually is - "it's OUR view damnit!" But it is wrong, period. (See: www.cnbc.com/2017/11/30/trump-says-government-shutdown-might-be-good-for-him-wapo.html). (See also: nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/01/gop-plan-blame-shutdown-democrats.html). Now when I see pundits and Trumplings on social media writing that 60 votes are needed in the Senate to pass a Budget Bill, I cringe. It does NOT take 60 votes to pass any bill, let alone a budget one. It does though take 60 Cloture votes to overcome a filibuster - a mechanism in place in the Senate to force both parties to compromise - to reach an agreement on how to proceed. But between 2009 and 2014, the use of the Filibuster in the Senate had been used solely by the GOP to obstruct (See: www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/12/how-the-senate-filibuster-went-out-of-control-and-who-can-rein-it-in/266645/). Who is to blame for this distasteful application? Hey wait a minute, does that make me a hypocrite, claiming one party is superior to the other? Of course not. I am simply relaying a FACT so conveniently forgotten by Republicans and Trumplings. When Obama was elected, Right Wing talking heads called for blocking everything the Democrats tried to do when it came to reviving a destroyed economy coming out of the W. Bush years. We had the emergence of the Tea Party with some real shady leaders (See: Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, et al.). (See: www.nosmokeblown.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/tea-party-2009.jpg). Recall, those same folks on Fox news and Breitbart et al., also opposed bailouts for the American automotive industry and TARP (except TARP was passed while Bush was still in office and the bailout of Detroit was recommended by Bush and his team) because it would "break our budget and add to our unsustainable bulging deficits!" (See: www.gq.com/story/republicans-deficit). Except the latest GOP Tax Bill adds TRILLIONS to our deficit and their proposed budget adds more to our debt. So much for claiming to be deficit hawks. They are nothing more than hypocritical political hacks. Sadly, many like me knew this all along while so many fell for their con. And today? The GOP and the Trumplings continue to follow this charade. But Trumplings and the GOP want Americans to forget these inconvenient facts. Why? Because the very tool they used to block Obama, they now want to eliminate so there can no longer be any mechanism for the opposition to have a say on, well, anything (See: swampland.time.com/2012/08/23/the-party-of-no-new-details-on-the-gop-plot-to-obstruct-obama/). Yes, Harry Reid and the Democrats eliminated the filibuster for judicial appointments except to those to the Supreme Court. They did this because the GOP blocked ALL Obama judicial appointments (The Dems bad previously blocked well over 90 Bush appointments too). But Republicans took the game to an entirely new level! They used their majority powers to kill a Supreme Court nomination for over 14 months. Then when Trump came to power, they eliminated the filibuster entirely for Supreme Court confirmations (See: Gorsuch). Now, the President is demanding the GOP leadership kill the filibuster outright, so the GOP can jam their budget bills and all policies down the oppositions throats (See: www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/trump-launches-new-round-of-partisan-attacks-as-government-shutdown-hits-day-2/2018/01/21/0560aece-fe35-11e7-a46b-a3614530bd87_story.html?hpid=hp_rhp-top-table-main_shutdown0122-desktoptablet%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.488a74e8e315). Today we have the blame game for this Shutdown in high gear. More than a Super Bowl is at stake here, and this may have long-term damaging effects. In the event the GOP eliminates the Filibuster, they may very well be committing political suicide. Why? In the event the Democrats ever take control of the Senate again, the GOP will find itself on the other side of the fence from where they now stand. They won't like it and it will NOT be good for the country. Again, the Senate was supposed to be the "Adult" chamber, cooling the tempers enflamed in the House. Moderation and compromise were supposed to be the hallmarks of the upper chamber. Without the Filibuster, no minority party will have any leverage left as opposition to the majority. None. And America will be negatively affected by such a move. So why are we moving in this direction? Because, yes, our president is considered an "outsider" and some think that is what the country needs. Except the "outsider" is so woefully ignorant about why the Framers put the institutions together and what their intentions were for them. So ignorant, his rhetoric against Democrats and "DREAMERS" is now very dangerous for our democracy - all for a short-sighted gain in power. Power is all that is being played around with here - all at a great cost to our democracy and to America. DACA and the budget could have been figured out months ago. Instead, the GOP jammed through a tax bill no one still quite understands (my own corporate tax attorneys and accountants can't even agree on what the new tax law means). We have a president lying to the public everyday with Trumplings wearing their hypocrisy like a badge of honor (from Trump's multiple sexual affairs to breaking the deficit). Now we have Trumplings repeating Trump's argument that Democrats shut down the government to hurt our national security and our military - except that too, is not true. When Democratic Senator McCaskill introduced a Bill last Friday morning (1/19) to exempt military pay from the Shutdown, McConnell and the GOP shot it down (See: www.c-span.org/video/?c4710181/senator-mcconnell-objects-military-pay-protection). After all, why take away leverage for their lie by making it go away with the McCaskill bill? So are the Democrats solely to blame? The GOP? Both have some responsibility but I blame the Trumplings more for ceding their positions as patriots in favor of political power. Based upon women waking up to their electoral powers with demographic changes coming (whether Trumpkins like it or not), they should be very careful what they wish for as sometime in the future Dems will be in the majority again and you can bet they will follow the GOP's lead in ruling with absolute authority. Although I have used this quote before, it rings more true now. As President Harry S. Truman once wrote; "It's plain hokum. If you can't convince 'em, confuse 'em. It's an old political trick. But this time it won't work."Just because our government is shutdown, it doesn't mean Americans' brains need to shutdown as well. Have a great week!

After traveling for over a month, I am finally home for a few weeks. While away, the "fun and games" coming out of Washington have been typical, ending recently with the threat of a government shutdown and allegations of the use of the word "Shit-hole" to describe African countries and why President Trump sees a need to limit immigrants from these countries. When accused of being a "racist" Trump and his Trumplings, race to point out they too believe those countries to be "less than desirable" but that does not necessarily mean anything racist. Except they conveniently overlook the statement added from Trump that he preferred immigrants instead "from Norway." What? If this doesn't have a basis in racism, what could ever be considered racists? One thing I've learned in my 60 years is the more one claims they aren't a racist (despite their actions and words), the more likely they are probably a racist. (See: www.cnn.com/2018/01/11/politics/immigrants-shithole-countries-trump/index.html). (See: www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-white-house-doesnt-deny-trumps-shithole-immigration-remark/). Perhaps the most perplexing thing I have read or heard since my return home has been a constant barrage on social media from Trumplings repeating their idol's claims that Main Stream Media is ensuring his re-election due to their "obsession" with making life tough for him, including the "witch hunt hoax" commonly known as the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections. (See: www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/12/31/trump-hating-media-ring-out-2017-with-continuing-attacks-on-him-and-other-media-failures.html). Whenever Trump makes a claim, his followers lock-arms and repeat the claim without giving it one independent thought. As if that is not concerning enough, we have an entire "news" network using their position to indoctrinate the Right Wing into pure Trumplings instead of being free to think for themselves. It has been a long time coming, but a day of reckoning is approaching, and it may not be pretty for Trumplings. Although some may think Trump is "Making American Great Again", they seem to either have slept through Civics classes or (like Trump), are "so smart", they don't need any actual education. They have Fox news and Trump, and that is all they think is needed to move forward. Except they are instead moving into an abyss of ignorance, not forward. Trump says the Democrats are putting our nation at risk when blocking GOP budget bills that ignore the DREAMERS, but the GOP shutdown the government under Obama and didn't seem to mind any alleged effects it had on National Security then. Besides that, the GOP currently can't get the 60 votes necessary to pass a budget bill in the Senate because many Republicans there won't vote for the bill. So why is it always the Democrats' fault? No matter to Trumplings, their man makes the statement, tweets the tweet and they dutifully get in line and take to social media. How sad! Additional case in point. Even if the Trumplings believe their "leader" and truly believe the investigations into the Trump Campaigns alleged collusion with Russia in the 2016 elections are a hoax, why are they also diminishing the reality that Russia did actually use social media platforms to influence our elections? With every intelligence agency reporting the interference and potential cyberattack from Russia, how is it that Trumplings (along with the GOP and Fox "news") seem to not care enough to take steps to protect future elections from said interference? When asked what steps were being taken to protect future elections from interference, Attorney General Sessions stated "nothing was being done". (See: www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/trump-white-house-has-taken-little-action-stop-next-election-n776116). So what gives Trumplings? Having been an avid follower of Watergate as the scandal unfolded, I am well aware of presidents attempting to divert the media and public attention from their abuse of powers. The first step is to attack the media often enough to convince their base that nothing negative about the president can possibly be true - even if they see or hear it themselves. When asked if Congress should investigate the Russian interference, most Republicans say "no." (See: www.cnn.com/2017/10/30/politics/polling-russia-trump-investigation-partisanship/index.html). May I remind readers that the Framers authorized Congress to aggressively oversee the Executive Branch (including investigations) under Article I of the Constitution. This was meant to be an effective Check and Balance mechanism. Instead, the GOP has used it for strictly partisan purposes (BENGHAAAAAZI) and now seek to slow walk any serious review of Russian election interference. Gee, it wouldn't have anything to do with maintaining Party power at all costs - even at the expense of our democracy? The current GOP seems to now stand for "Generally Only Party" when it comes to their patriotism. In the event one branch of Congress flips to the Democrats in the 2018 Midterms, please no complaining from Trumplings when serious investigations begin. It seems a flip of a branch (or two) is necessary for Congress to get back to work for the country and not solely for the GOP. Better yet, let's elect a new group of legislators holding them to a promise to put Country over Party. At least, that would be a start! As GOP Senator and member of the Watergate Committee Howard Baker once wrote; "The central question is simply put: What did the president know and when did he know it?" At least the GOP used to care about America more than Party control. Have a great week!

A quick posting since I just returned from Buenos Aires and now fly to Columbus, Ohio for a week. Two observations I had while traveling around Chile and Argentina. First, I was asked by folks (including a journalist), about how many Americans actually support Donald Trump. You see, despite what some Right Wing Media claims, many outside of America think we are stumbling with Trump in the Oval Office. How so? Every person I met that showed any interest in American politics, asked how in the world Trump could have been elected. Yes, you read that right. Many throughout South America are puzzled how the great United States elected someone as shallow and weak as Donald Trump. So much for the illusion he was leading us back to "greatness!" One journalist asked me if we were "all crazy!" When I explained to him that so many Americans just don't vote, he seemed perplexed. How could the largest democracy in the world allow so many to ignore the importance of elections? How would you answer that question? I told him I can only hope Americans learned a valuable lesson - that every vote counts and that upcoming elections can "right the ship!" The other observation is that very few people in South America speak English. In fact, had we not been traveling with friends fluent in Spanish, I doubt we could have survived. Seriously! We were not in the Caribbean. We were in South America! Any time I ran into a language problem, I found myself frustrated and unlike other places I have traveled where language has been a problem, folks in South America simply didn't care. English is not something they even remotely care to understand or speak. Which gets me to my last point. For all the folks supporting Trump and his policy that America can "go at it alone" in the World, you are wrong. America (albeit a big player), can not lead without the assistance of allies and partners - and not all of them will agree with US on every matter. We must cast aside the jingoistic tendencies fed to us by the Right Wing and go back to being a World Leader, one capable of leading a "team" of partners, willing to grow the world's economy without sacrificing the environment or human rights. Capitalism is thriving in the World, and its universal language is money - not English. Hopefully Americans will come to realize it before the current Administration distances us from our friends and sets back the world economy, the environment and the causes of freedom. As President Ronald Reagan once wrote; "The objective I propose is quite simple to state: to foster the infrastructure of democracy - the system of a free press, unions, political parties, universities - which allows a people to choose their own way to develop their own culture, to reconcile their own differences through peaceful means." Have a great week!

With Chanukah beginning tonight at sundown, the holiday season is upon us. Each year, children are asked what they would want for Chanukah or Christmas and most reply a new pet or toy. But what do adults want? Some want a simpler life, one based upon traditional values recalling in positive and glowing terms our past (as if only good things happened in the past and no bad things ever did), like GOP Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore's statement in response to a question of when America was last considered "great" - "I think it was great at the time when families were united — even though we had slavery — they cared for one another.... Our families were strong, our country had a direction." What? Slavery as an institution played a positive role on our country? I'm sure slaves felt differently about those times, right? Is that what some folks really think is required to "Make America Great Again?" (See: www.cnn.com/2017/12/08/politics/roy-moore-slavery/index.html). Now that President Trump and the Republican National Committee have officially endorsed Roy Moore, how low can this country go? So what do I wish for this holiday season? For Americans to wake up and realize that politicians promising a return to the "good old days" are selling snake oil to those most susceptible - those somehow believing that "back in the day" it was somehow much better than in present times. Having dirt floors, outhouses and no electricity was so grand back then, right? And you can bet it will get a lot worse. But how? Just this week, a letter to the editor in our local paper railed against those demanding Civil War statues be removed because they "have been there for centuries!" Although I am not always sharp with arithmetic, I know statues commemorating the Civil War could not have been "there for centuries!" How do I know this? The American Civil War was fought from 1861-1865. So what else would I like for this holiday season? For Americans to get their heads out of their collective asses and realize that too many are either unwilling to think for themselves or simply have abdicated their ability to think - period. So, like the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, I wish they would collectively realize they would be much better off "If they only had a brain." (See: www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/339323/Wizard-Of-Oz-The-Movie-Clip-If-I-Only-Had-A-Brain.html). I know, I know. Diminishing Americans comes with great peril. I mean, how dare I? Easy. This past week someone I know posted on social media their glee in Olympic Skier Lindsay Vonn being injured in a practice run. Glee? Yes, glee. Seems they posted a hope she would be injured before the Olympics because she publicly stated she would not visit the White House after the Olympics because of her opposition to Trump. The poster went on to say it was his lucky day (due to her injury) and how he was going out to buy a lottery ticket because she "deserved" her "fall." This is where some Americans are? Demand total loyalty to the president or else forget about representing America in the Olympics? Actually wishing for their physical injury? The most ironic part? This is someone who routinely posts biblical passages and boasts of being an "Evangelical Christian!" So what else do I wish for some Americans? To stop using whatever rational to think themselves superior over another and to get back to a position of loving and caring for our neighbors - no matter the color of their skin, religious or sexual orientation or political beliefs. By now I think you have caught on to what I an wishing for. It's time for a change in America. A change where knowledge is power and power is no longer determined on who's influence can be purchased on the open market. A change where our political leaders can agree on the most basic and fundamental concepts of equality, liberty and freedom. And a change that moves us beyond a desire to have political tribalism trump national pride and core values. I guess we'll see how things go starting with tonight's special election in Alabama. Either way, I don't see it as a "win" for America, but unfortunately, just another step toward the abyss (unless wished can be granted). So for this holiday season, I wish for all of us to unite and to promote the greatness of what it means to be an American and that love of country supersedes love of political party and power. As President Woodrow Wilson once wrote; "America is not anything if it consists of each of us. It is something only if it consists of all of us." Happy Holidays every one. May we all enjoy health, happiness, safety and a heightened state of awareness for what our country is gong through.

* I will be out of the country from December 17-January 8. Please check back then for additional blogs. Be well!

Author

Daniel R. Rubin is an Attorney, Educator, Lecturer and National Award Winning Author. He is a retired adjunct professor of American History who also taught Advanced Placement United States Government and American Politics in Venice, Florida.